Pokemon Colusseum: Wes's Tale
by JadedWarrior
Summary: Wes was always an awesomely cool character- but who WAS he? Where did he come from? And how did he get involved with Team Snagem?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: Outset**

It was unnatural. Wes frowned at the low, ominous building that pierced the desert landscape. Though it wavered and shimmered in the unrelenting afternoon heat, it's identity was unmistakable. It was the Pokemon Laboratory: all that remained of the horrifying Cipher legacy. Wes tightened his hands on the handles of the hovercraft as the stark laboratory drew closer. The electric field surrounding it had long since sputtered and died, and the concrete surrounding it was cracked and worn. But not even weeds would grow here. Wes slowed the vehicle to a stop and stepped off. His loyal pokemon, Umbreon and Espeon, leapt from the sidecar. Without a sound, they kept pace with him as he examined the dilapidated building. The doors had rusted and fallen away, and whole chunks of the walls were missing, exposing rusted iron supports and empty inner chambers.

Wes ducked into one of the openings and found himself ankle-deep in sand. The partially covered roof made the sand cooler than that on the outside, save for areas where light poured in from holes in the walls and ceiling. Nature was attempting to reclaim the land the accursed building had taken. But even it's own destruction did not... could not right the wrongs the laboratory had brought about. The wrongs he had helped bring to fruition. He felt another mind touch his, a feathery tendril of thought interrupting his own. A touch that, by now, he knew well. Espeon's voice echoed in his mind, as clear as if spoken aloud.

_"You are troubled." _she said.It was a statement of fact, not a question. His Pokemon knew him too well to be fooled by sugarcoated lies. Wes leaned heavily against the wall as he slid to the floor, daring the building to fall on him.

"You don't know the half of it." he muttered. Espeon blinked, and guilt pricked at his skin. They knew. All three of them did. A single tear slid down his cheek. This place had been his home... the only one he had ever truly known. And this thing, this _laboratory,_ had stolen it from him. And he had let it. The tears fell faster. Without being bidden, Espeon ducked under his arm, and Umbreon curled up on his lap. Their breathing rose and fell in time with his, the only sound apart from the eerie howl of the desert winds. Both of them enveloped him in their minds, shielding him from the tortures of his own. It had been thus two other times in his life, and all three of them had taken place here.

A young boy tottered along the busy street, the sandy path warming his bare feet. His off-white hair was hopelessly unruly, hanging nearly to his chin, and his clothes were patched and faded. His irises were a wild yellow, their feral centers gleaming with delight. His name was Wes, and today would be a wonderful day. He could feel it. People of all ages and classes bustled to and fro, in and out of the shops and brick houses crammed haphazardly along the dirt roads. Many of the women shot him dirty looks for his patched appearance and unwashed hair. Most people preferred not to look at him, and it bothered him little. What did it matter, on a day like this? The sky was a perfect crystal blue, and the sun had lessened it's relentless heat, allowing the desert-weary town a brief respite. But better than the warm sand beneath his toes and the laughing, bustling crowd around him, there was to be a huge Pokemon battle! No Colosseum existed in an oasis town, (if you could call it that) as small as Twopearls, but trainers both local and from afar gathered at the old, rock-hard stretch of packed earth between buildings that served as an arena. Shielded from the heat, it was accessible through a network of alleys and roads. Today, supposedly, a trainer from a distant corner of Orre was to compete with the local champion. Wes gave a little wriggle of excitement at the thought. Softened by the heat, the tar underneath his feet squished satisfyingly.

-Tar? There was only one paved street in Twopearls... He froze in horror.

He had run into the middle of the main road!

Two identical flashes of brown fur dashed by him, tripping him. He fell onto the hard asphalt, scraping his exposed knees. "Hey!" he cried, but his protest was drowned by the oncoming roar. Wes could only watch in wide-eyed terror as the iron behemoth rushed toward him. Every second seemed to last a lifetime as the supply truck skidded and swerved, brakes squealing. He wanted to scream, to move, to do something, but his every muscle was paralyzed in fear.

"Eee!" Shaken from his trance, Wes swung his head around. The pair of Eevees, once moving so fast, were trapped in the road's softened tar. He felt their terror magnify his own, desperately struggling to free their small paws.

"STOP!" he cried. Without thinking, he threw his body in front of them, and braced himself for the agony he was sure would follow. This had to be the end. Blackness enveloped him, and he was only conscious of the trembling bundles in his arms and roaring in his ears. An acrid stench stung his nostrils, and his scraped knees throbbed with pain. But the agony he expected did not come.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the blackness left him, and daylight broke once more onto his vision. At first, he did not dare open his eyes. He was dead. He _must _be dead. He tentatively opened one eye, unsure whether he still had them, and both snapped open in shock. He was alive! He was curled on his side, knees bleeding, his face and clothes blackened and smeared, but in all other ways unharmed. He gave a short laugh, weak with relief as he realized what had happened. What else was to be done? The supply truck had rolled right over his head!

"...Vee?" He gasped, glancing down at his soiled and scraped arms. He was holding a pair of wild Pokemon! And Eevees, no less. His first instinct was to drop them: wild pokemon could be extremely dangerous, but he balked at the idea. They were the two most beautiful and innocent creatures he had ever seen. Their identical tawny coats were soft and warm, and their eyes, though half closed and terrified, glimmered with a sparkling light. Their ears were the perfect long, almond shape, though they drooped and quivered. And he had saved them. He stood up, but his head throbbed in unison with his knees, and the road began to spin. He must have hit harder than he thought... A rough arm suddenly slung itself around his shoulders, guiding him off the road. Murmurs and cries rippled through the crowd of stunned people gathered around the road like chattering birds.

"Venn! Where are you taking him?"

"Is he all right?"

"What happened?"

"Ragamuffin! Could'a got yourself killed!"

"Look! Eevees!"

"Eevees? Where?!"

"Yer don' see _'em_ in 'Oopurls, 'ats fer sure."

The noise made his head spin. But they kept walking, Wes' feet mechanically moving in time with his savior's. He glanced up from the dusty ground, and found himself inside an air-conditioned, well lit Pokemon store. The neat shelves were lined with all manner of potions and pokeballs, but they also contained parts for bicycles, hovercraft, and machinery Wes couldn't identify. The store seemed to have more items than it could hold, as some displays towered over his head. Shelves formed mazes all throughout the little store, and more merchandise was displayed in the large front window. It all flew by his vision so fast, it seemed to be only a dream. A small glass sculpture of a Milotic stood upon one shelf. Almost without thinking, his hand darted out and snatched it. He stowed the loot in his pocket, more from habit than anything else. He was seated on a stool near a cool, polished counter, and a glass of water was placed in front of him. "Drink up now, laddie. Let me see those Pokemon of yours. " A pair of hands reached out to take them, but Wes held the trembling bundles tighter.

"Don't...no! I want to keep them..." he croaked, his voice hoarse from the truck exhaust and dust. Whoever this man was, he was going to take the Eevees away! Venn chuckled.

"Aye, you can have 'em back, " suddenly serious, he finished, "but if they don't get medical attention soon, they'll die of the shock." Wes made to protest, but he could feel the two pokemon becoming rapidly colder in his arms, and relented. Venn carefully lifted the Eeves- each only a little bigger than his rough, work-worn hands. A part of Wes was tempted to snatch them back, their presence had been so comforting, but he definitely didn't want them to die. If the man didn't give them back, he decided, he would simply return and steal them away. The thought was comforting, but he still watched carefully as Venn took his precious Pokemon to a room behind the counter. Wes hadn't gotten a good look at him before, but now he could see his face more clearly. He was well-muscled, with tanned skin, stiff, balding black hair, a beard that ran from his ears all the way to his chin, and a mustache. He had a few wrinkles around his eyes, but none anywhere else. He wore old, off-blue jeans and a lightweight plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He seemed friendly enough, but his sharp blue eyes didn't miss a thing. It gave Wes the unsettling feeling that the man, (Venn was it?) knew exactly what he was thinking.

He shuddered, and reached for the water the storekeeper had given him. It was cool, clear and soothing to his parched throat, with a slight mineral flavor. He sighed, setting the glass down. He felt a little more steady, but his limbs still shook slightly. He glanced at his knees. They were still scraped, but the bleeding had stopped. Dried trails of blood ran down his legs and splattered his feet, and blackened stains from the road and truck stained his legs, arms, and, he assumed, his face. But at least he was alive. He kept his eyes fixed upon the door. If he looked away, surely, Venn would bring the Eevees out, and he would miss them. In some inexplicable way, Wes had to be absolutely sure this was real. It was entirely too good to be true: Finally, he had pokemon of his very own without applying for a trainer's license, and without throwing a single Pokeball. And on top of all this, they happened to be two of the rarest non-legendary species in the region. He had heard this from a breeder months ago, who had been hanging around Madam Opalia's shop- or rather, more of a Pokemon daycare- complaining of their limited availability and outlandish price. The little shop sat near the center of town, a few streets behind the main road, and occupied a small patch of fertile land that young or busy trainers used to house their pokemon.

Madam Opalia was kindly enough in the way she spoke to her customers, but Wes had never seen her face-to face. He had always remained hidden in the shadows, squeezing himself under a gap in the fence to watch the pokemon and trainers that inevitably gathered. And his patience paid off. One wonderful spring day, when was completely alone in the pen, a group of baby Cyndaquil wandered over to his bush. Their mother, a Typhlosion he had christened Blaize, watched him with a wary eye, but did not object to him playing with her little ones. For a while, Wes was in heaven. He rolled and laughed with the squeaking, sparking Cyndaquil, but best of all, he could talk to them. Not in the silly, fleeting sounds people exchanged, but in his head. Wes couldn't explain how it happened, not in a thousand lifetimes, but he had always been able to hear the pokemon whisper. He had soon learned to identify each species, and then individuals, by voice. He could hear baby pokemon chittering excitedly, triumphant battle-circle winners boasting to each other, and wizened old ones humming in serene peacefulness.

And sometimes, if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the laments of pokemon far, far away underneath the usual din of the city. They sang of deep sadness, of heartbreak and imprisonment, and yet, their keening was spellbinding. The music seemed more a part of him than simply a sound, inside or outside his head, but it broke his heart, leaving him in fits of tears. He rarely ever listened, but each time, the lamenting pokemon seemed to grow in number. He wanted to find out why they were hurting so much, but they were so far away... what could he do? He considered asking the pokemon the reason for their sorrow, but he could not work up the nerve. He feared that if he managed to contact the faraway creatures, he would be lost forever in their beautiful, terrible songs.

Wes still had to tread carefully around the pokemon he _did_ speak to, for he was sure Madam Opalia would ship him off to some institution for orphans if she found him under her fence. Even if she was out of town, as she so often was, there was always someone out in the pen to prevent shady characters from running off with the pokemon. This was a legitimate fear, Wes reflected, for he had seen several attempted heists. In all of which, the would-be thieves forgot that pokemon, unlike ordinary objects, fought back. He couldn't suppress a grin as he remembered the look on a rather obtuse thug's face as a Machop delivered 3 successive Double-Slap attacks. The thief was not, of course, conscious to see Madam Opalia's rage upon her return, but Wes never saw any of _that_ gang around the Daycare again.

The creak of an opening door roused Wes from his reverie. Venn held both of the Eevees in one arm (A rather difficult feat, as both of them were wriggling and pawing at each other, their shock forgotten.) Wes could scarcely contain his excitement as the shopkeeper laid them on the polished counter. Upon closer inspection, the two creatures were not quite identical: the male was more outgoing and bold, making several attempts to stalk and pounce on his counterpart. The mane of lighter fur around his neck was bushier and his form more muscular, while the female seemed more thoughtful and serene. Her build was more delicate and elegant, with longer, more tapered ears, but he did not doubt the sharpness of her claws and teeth. Or her clever mind. Wes giggled as she nimbly sidestepped the male's pounce, sending him sprawling. The storekeeper said nothing as Wes played with his new pokemon, which took to him quickly after much sniffing and pawing. But Venn studied the boy in front of him with sharp blue eyes. Wes did his best to ignore him. After a long silence broken only by the Eevees' playful squeaks, Venn spoke.

"Do you know what these are?" Wes looked up from the playfight. The older man had drawn two pokeballs from a pocket and lain them on the table. They were smooth, unscratched, and perfectly round. Venn might have just removed them from their packaging. Wes nodded. He had seen many trainers using them- some with a dozen or more pokeballs attached to a vest or belt. The storekeeper nodded curtly.

"Good. That saves me a lot of explaining. I don't know how these Eeves came to be in your possession, nor do I want to know. Aye, you might have found them, but that doesn't make them yours." Wes stiffened, opening his mouth to protest, but Venn continued, "Pokemon are not pets, or playthings, or means to an end. If you're going to keep these two, you need to learn to take care of them, to understand them, to learn from them. Most Pokemon don't get a say in what they do with their lives. It's a crying shame. If you aren't ready to treat these creatures as equals, then you can put them right back where they came from. It'll save all three of you a lot of heartbreak." The Eevees had long since abandoned their playfight, and both sets of brown eye were boring into his Topaz ones.

"_Well?" _With a jolt, he heard both of the Eevees' voices in unison, (For the ferocity of their stares, Wes was sure they were speaking to him.) challenging him to answer. Venn's face was expressionless, but his blue eyes were fixed on the two pokemon. For the first time, a wave of nausea overcame Wes. These two Eevees were depending on him, not just for companionship, but for care. A strange, almost tangible weight seemed to rest on his shoulders, and for several moments that could have stretched into hours, he could not place the emotion. He had never felt anything like it before. Suddenly, the word came to him.

_Responsibility._ The Eevees wanted him to do as Venn had said. They _expected_ him to open up to them and be treated as equals, as friends, as partners. Forever. Could he really handle that kind of commitment? Though the "weight" on his shoulders seemed heavy and unwelcome, it also held a sense of promise, like a little light at the end of a long tunnel. Though the Eevees would rely on him, he could rely on them, too. For the first time in his life, he would have companions. Friends, even.

_He would not have to journey a hostile world alone._

Could he handle the responsibility? Wes knew there could be only one answer. He met Venn's blue gaze squarely. "I'll do it." A smile split the shopkeeper's work worn face. "Good answer. You'll be needin' these, then." he slid the white and red pokeballs across the counter. Without a word, Wes lifted one in each hand, a finger over each center button. The Eevees made no move to resist, their brown eyes softening, but something stayed his hand. He was poised to capture both Eevees, as he had seen so often in glimpses of TV screens and battle corners, but somehow, he could not do it.

"_Most Pokemon don't get a say in what they do with their lives. It's a crying shame..." _Venn had said that. Wes lowered them slightly. He closed his eyes, and opened himself to the Whispering once more, allowing the chattering voices of the other pokemon in town to fade into the distance.

"_Are you ready?"_ he asked the Eevees. It did not take them more than a moment to respond, eyes shining.

"_Of course." _He could not suppress a grin. His first pokemon! Heart beating fast, he pressed down the center buttons. With a sharp snap, both balls flew open, and a jet of red light enveloped both pokemon. Almost as quickly as it had begun, both the light and the Eevees vanished, and Wes held both occupied pokeballs in his hands.

"That was good for your first time, laddie." said Venn. "You'll make a fine trainer one day." Wes' chest swelled with pride, but his grin faded as Venn continued, "But you'll need to return that statue you stole before you leave."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Fight or Flight?**

Wes had never been so happy in all of his life. He had retreated back into the mesh of city streets after leaving the shop, after a thorough washing up which Venn had insisted upon. (the crotchety old man.) He had felt Venn's eyes boring into his back until he'd turned the corner and vanished from sight, and it still made him shudder. But who cared? The Eevees were safe, so it had all been worthwhile. He trotted down the dirt roads as the sun began sinking, his feet guiding him along the well-trodden paths. He could not help touching the pocket of his trousers every few moments, fingering the round spheres that contained his new friends. It always made his mouth stretch into an irrepressible grin. Ducking and weaving throngs of people until crowds became sparse, Wes made for his alleyway. He had called it his own, not by any legitimate claim, but because no one else seemed bothered with it.

His alley was surrounded by three long-abandoned stores near the west part of town, which had been ravaged by fire. The smoke stains traced splotchy, winding patterns all down the brick walls surrounding his "fortress," and Wes never tired of looking at them. His "fortress," of sorts, was made of several crates with bleached, illegible labels, and old painter's tarps. By knocking out one side or another of the crates, he was able to fit them together in a rough box pattern. The slats between the wooden boards allowed light to filter in on sunny days, but Wes pulled the tarps over his shelter when it was cold or wet. It was the inside that he was truly proud of, however. Caches of treasures were stashed in shoe boxes or under ragged towels- anywhere he could find room or something to put them in. Yes, his treasures gave him much pride: a dainty flower from beside the Daycare fence, a shiny stone from the Battle Circle, and perhaps a trinket or two snatched from an unsuspecting storekeeper.

He scowled at the thought of the glass Milotic. He had been unable to appreciate it at the time, but now he could think of little else but how shiny and smooth it had been. It would have caught the sunlight just perfectly on top of that old shoe box he's been saving.

Oh well- He could fetch it later. He dug the pokeballs out of his pocket, one in each hand, and pressed the center buttons. After a snap and a flash of red light, his Eevees were on the ground before him. They cocked their heads, staring at him quizzically. _"Where are we?" _The voice was not in unison this time: it was decidedly female. He turned to the littlest Eevee, speaking aloud. "We're home." he said proudly. "Here- let me show you around!" His companions chirped excitedly as they inspected every inch of the makeshift home. The Eevees listened intently, when they were not sniffing or nosing the many boxes and labels, that is.

"See, this is my bed. I made it out of an old tablecloth. I'll make one for you guys, too!"

"That's a shiny stone I found under the fence one day. There are lots of little crystals in it. Like it?"

"I'll pull this tarp over the fort to keep out the weather. Pretty neat, huh?" He could not stop the words once they began cascading from his mouth, but the pokemon minded very little- in fact, they seemed endlessly fascinated by the shelter. The littlest one manged to crawl into a small box. Eyes glinting mischievously, she watched as her male counterpart inched towards her. Then, not a second too soon, BANG. She shot out of the box and bowled him over. Wes erupted into a fit of giggles, the tour forgotten. Not to be outdone, the male growled playfully and soon overpowered her. But the little female would have none of it. She wriggled out from his paws and dashed behind him. The male whirled around to meet her, but overbalanced and flopped onto his side, panting.

The little female was also losing steam, and curled up neatly in Wes's lap, her warm body pressing against his own. The other Eevee soon followed suit, and Wes stroked them both gently, their flanks rising and falling in unison. Their eyes were half-closed in contentment, as if there was nothing more to want in the world. Wes could hardly blame them. He sighed, allowing happiness to seep into his tired body like a sponge. So much had happened today... this morning's incident seemed a thousand years ago. Yes, today had been a truly perfect day, but not because of a Pokemon battle.

Now he could enjoy warm sunshine, blue skies, and excellent battles with friends that would appreciate them as much as he did. How could he have considered abandoning them for even a second? He glanced around at the fortress walls, and his smile faded a little. This was no shelter for young Eevees. He would need to reinforce the walls, put the tarp up every night... yes. He would have to make the fortress a proper home. The protectiveness that rushed up from inside himself startled Wes. Was this 'responsibility'? Venn would have thought so, he supposed, yawning widely. He was too tired to think more on it tonight. But first...

_ "Eevees?"_ Even though the communication was mental, he tried his best to keep it quiet. They made no response, but pricked up their ears. _"Do you have names?" _They did not open their eyes, but the female shifted slightly. _"I don't." _she said. _"I might have, at one point, but I can't remember." _Wes' brow furrowed. _"What do you mean? Surely your mother called you something." _She shook her head, eyes still closed. _"I don't remember my mother." _The male's eyes drifted open.

"_My mother called me Snatch." _he said. _"I can't remember her face though- only a little wooden glade. They took me away when I was very little." _Wes' heart twisted with pity for the little thing, knowing all too well who "they" were. It wasn't uncommon for unscrupulous trainers to kidnap the babies of rare pokemon and sell them for astronomical prices. It was a practice that, apparently, sickened Madam Opalia. He had heard her rage about it to one of the hired hands.

_ "I escaped them, though." _he said, his small voice growing firm. _"And one day, I'll be so tough that no one would steal me or any other pokemon ever again, ever!" _His ears drooped though, and Wes could tell the memories frightened him. He trembled, and silence reigned for a moment, until the little female finally spoke up. _"I can't really remember much before Snatch found me," _she said slowly. _"But I have decided to call myself Sheila." _Wes ruffled her ears gently. _"That's a pretty name. What does it mean?" _

"_A Whiscash once told me that it meant 'hope' in an old language." _Her eyes slowly opened, and brown stared into gold._"Snatch and I want to find out what happened to us. We want to know where we came from. But we won't go back." _she said seriously. "_We can never go back. It won't be the same. We just want to know. And once we do, we'll start over, away from all the bad stuff that happened before. We want to make our own future." _Her eyes sparkled and she let out a triumphant chirp._ "And now, you can make your own life, too. We can all do it together!" _Wes smiled, leaning his head against the wall as sleep took him. _"Yeah." _he thought, to no one in particular. _"We'll start all over..."_

Dawn stole into the fortress with pale, dainty fingers. Wes blinked awake, light filtering onto his face through slats in the boards. For a moment, he wondered how he had come to be sleeping sitting up. He glanced down at his lap, and a rush of affection overtook him. It had not been a dream after all. But if it had been, Wes would never have wanted to wake up. He gently slid the Eevees off of his lap, but it made no difference: their eyes snapped open, and with yips of surprise, tumbled into a furry heap. Laughing, Wes gently pulled them apart before a tussle could start. Sheila yawned and stretched as if nothing had happened, and Snatch shook the last vestiges of dirt from his fur, spraying everyone with a cloud of dust. Hissing, Sheila cuffed him over one ear. _"I just washed these paws!" _she said irritably, furiously re-grooming her fur. "Well, now you can wash them again!" teased Wes. Growling playfully, Sheila leapt onto the boy's chest, raring for a playfight. Snatch hurled himself into the melee, and a tumbling pile of skin, fur, and giggles rolled out of the shelter.

Finally, Wes flopped onto his side, panting, his whole body covered in a fine layer of dust. The Eevees were no better- they gave a few feeble chirps and collapsed on his chest, panting. "What a way to start the morning, huh?" Wes said, grinning. "We're all covered in dust."

"_You're the worst." _giggled Snatch, after a few moments. _"Look at the state of your hair!" _

Sheila cuffed him playfully over one ear. _"He can't, stupid! We're sitting on him!" _

"Not for long!" laughed Wes. Before the Eevees could react, he stood up, sending them squealing and tumbling into the dust. He took off down the alley. "Catch me if you can!"

It took them only a few moments before they were chasing Wes like a pair of tawny whirlwinds. Wes was fast, but it was all he could do to stay a few steps ahead of them as they snapped playfully at his heels, dodging and weaving as the streets came alive with the morning crowd. The city flashed by in a blur of motion as he ran, snatches of conversation and Pokemon whispers whizzing by his ears.

"Hey! Watch it!" cried one particularly grouchy man. Wes only grinned and kept going, his bare feet pounding the warm earthen roads. He turned sharply and hopped a fence, trying to set them off the trail, but nothing could fool his Pokemon. Instead, Snatch launched himself at Wes's leg, tripping him. Yelping in surprise, he fell heavily on his knees, wincing as the scabs stung. To his relief, though, they had not broken open.

"_There. Now we're even."_ said Sheila triumphantly, her tail held gracefully erect. Snatch scrambled over to her, yipping with delight. _"Ha! Didn't see me coming, did you, Wes?" _

"Nope, but I sure felt you! If you get any bigger, you could trip a Wailord."

"_Wailord? They don't even have feet!" _said Snatch indignantly. Wes scratched him gently behind the ears. "I'm just teasing you, silly. I know Wailords don't have feet."

He glanced around at their surroundings and gasped in shock. They had blown completely out of the West part of town, and had found themselves in Madam Opalia's Daycare. Sure enough, there was plushy, green grass underneath his feet-how could he have missed it? Cursing himself, he glanced around the spacious enclosure, searching for Madam Opalia or the workmen. Seeing no one, human or pokemon, he sighed with relief. The pen was empty. For now. But his relief didn't last long. Shadows broke the sunlight on the opposite end of the pen.

"_We need to get out of the open." _he said urgently, his heart beating faster as human voices drifted towards them on the wind. _"Now." _

"_Why? It's so pretty here." _asked Sheila, dabbing inquisitively at a shrub. Snatch stared up at him, curiosity in his deep brown eyes. _"Yes, aren't we allowed to be here?" _he asked._ "There are Pokemon smells everywhere, just like the forest."_ Wes's impatience mounted as the voices drew closer. _"This isn't a forest. People run this pen. And they'll take you away if they find you here, so we need to leave. Now!" _

With one last longing look at the shrub, Sheila bounded towards the fence. Snatch followed suit, and all three of them made for an alley beside the shop. Once inside the safety of darkness, Wes sighed with relief, leaning heavily against a cool brick wall. He closed his eyes, waiting for his heartbeat to slow, but soon opened them. Something wasn't right. He turned, and saw his two Pokemon standing determinedly at the alley's opening, their fur like fire in the mid-morning sun. Their eyes burned into Wes's, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"_That was the closest thing to the forest Snatch and I have found for weeks. I smelled no danger, and neither did he. Why did we have to leave?" _Sheila demanded.

"_What are you afraid of, Wes?" _

Both Eevees glared at him, and Wes glared right back. "I'm not afraid of anything." he said sharply. "I told you, we were in danger. People were coming into the pen, and they'll take you away if they find you."

This did not placate them.

"_Take _us _away," _ventured Snatch, "_Or take_ you_?"_

At no moment before had Wes felt his heart freeze so completely. And worst of all, he did not know why. Why did the fear of being taken away grip him so completely? Didn't he _want_ a family? Wasn't that what happened after children got taken away? Didn't he _want_ human friends?

The Eevees still stared at him expectantly. He had long since stopped glaring, and instead sunk to the ground, hugging his knees. He fixed his eyes on the ground. "I don't have a family. I suppose I used to have a mother, but I don't remember her. I don't remember anyone." he sighed. "I remember a room... a big white one filled with beds and children. And I remember climbing out a window one night, when I was still very small, because someone called my name." Snatch cocked his head. _"Who?"_

Wes shrugged. "I don't know. I never found her." _"Her?" _Interrupted Sheila. _"Was she your mother?" _"I don't know!" Wes shouted, more sharply than he meant to. "I said I never saw her, okay?" Guilt twisted his belly as Sheila's ears drooped, but he continued, "Madam Opalia- the lady who runs the pen- she'll have me taken away if she catches me. That's what humans do when they find lost children. I don't know what happens to them." He curled up tighter, as if it could protect him from the weight of his fear. "I've heard that some find a family, but the rest of them just vanish. I've never heard from any of the other kids I used to know... kids who live like me. I guess they all got taken away to some big institution. That's what Lex told me." Sheila padded towards him, but made sure she stayed several feet away. She wanted to make it clear that she was still mad at him. Snatch ignored her and snuggled against Wes's side, his warm body soothing the little boy's confused thoughts.

"_Who's Lex?" _Asked Sheila, breaking the momentary silence.

"Lex was a boy I used to know. He lived in a big, brick house, and he used to sneak under his fence and play with me." said Wes. Suddenly, his face became stony. "One day, I went up to his fence and asked him to play, but he didn't come. He just glared at me, and told me to go away. He told me that I belonged in an 'institution' and that I'm 'dangerous to society.'" Sheila cocked her head.

"What does that mean?"

Wes shrugged. "No idea, but it sounded really mean, so I stopped playing with him." Her question answered, Sheila crouched delicately, her tail wrapped around her paws. Silence reigned for several minutes until Snatch raised his head.

"_I know how it feels to be taken away." _he said slowly. _"We don't have to go back to the pen if it scares you so much." _Wes smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, Snatch, but it's not the pen that scares me. It's the people."

Sheila was not so easily persuaded.

_ "I still don't understand why you're afraid of your own species. Surely they won't take you away if you don't want them to. Can't you tell them?" _Wes shrugged. "I don't think the people in this town like me. They keep calling me 'r.....'" he bit his lip, trying to remember the word. "'reg'... 'ruga...' Ragamuffin! That's it- ragamuffin!" he said proudly. Sheila could not suppress a fit of giggles.

"_That sounds more like a disease than a name." _Snatch surveyed Wes seriously. _"Well, you do look kind of diseased," _he said slowly. Wes was about to retort indignantly when his stomach rumbled loudly. Sheila started, instantly on her paws. 

"_What was that?" _Now it was Snatch's turn to laugh. _"His stomach growled, that's all." _he said. _"It means that he's hungry." _Snatch sighed. _"I'm hungry too. I haven't eaten since yesterday." _Sheila's tail twitched irritably. _"All right, all right! We'll go find some food." _she stalked irritably back the way they had come. Wes slowly stood, stretched his stiff legs, and followed.

"Is she usually this angry?" _"Only when she's wrong." _

_ "I heard that!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**This chapter wasn't edited as much as the other were, but I still think it's ready for upload. Please, though- constructive criticism is loved in reviews. So do it! DO IT NOWWWW!!~**

* * *

**Chapter Three: Blood-red skies**

The sun had nearly reached it's zenith, and the crowds that usually populated the marketplace had thinned a bit, rushing to get inside before the heat of the day. Wes had returned Sheila and Snatch to their pokeballs, worried that they would be trampled in the churning crowd. Stalls with brightly colored canopies and neat little stores were crammed along the wide expanse of road. The dirt was so well-packed that little dust was created by the mass of people, but it did Wes no favors. He would need all the concealment he could get if his plan was to work. But it worried him little, as he was a practiced master at his art and frequented the local markets. His calculating eyes swept the rows of stalls and store windows like a Houndoom seeking the weakest of the herd. All he needed was one opening, one inattentive shopkeeper...

...one woman with a waylaid basket. Excellent.

He walked casually down the street, sidestepping pedestrians and appearing to survey the wares for sale.

But his focus never left the woman and her basket.

She was crouched near the end of the marketplace where the crowds were a little thinner, fussing over a wailing baby in a veiled buggy. The basket full of produce lay unsupervised a few feet behind her. No time was better than now.

"_What are you doing?"_ Wes started as the voice jarred his concentration. He gritted his teeth.

"_Not now, Snatch. I'm getting us lunch." _And, without waiting for him to respond, Wes closed the connection. He had to focus on the task at hand.

It was so simple. So easy.

He strolled by without even looking at her. After all, what was so strange about a young boy perusing the marketplace?

They did not see him expertly tuck the apples into his pockets. No one did. And Wes could not help but smile.

But it was not over yet; he had to wait.

He strolled casually away from the bustling market until he reached the corner and turned out of sight. As was his custom, he ran as fast as he could. He churned up puffs of dust in his wake as his feet pounded the earthen road, the apples banging against his thighs in rhythm with his strides. This street was nearly deserted, but he did not stop running until he had ducked into an alley, away from prying eyes. This one, he noted, was darker than most, shielded from the sun by the roofs of the nearby buildings. Red roofs. Blue signs on the left one. He was near the Battle Circle. His keen eras could pick up none of the tumult of battle, however, so it was safe to sit and eat. No one would be coming through here for a while. Wes dug into his pockets for the pokeballs and released the Eevees simultaneously, eager to begin the meal. It seemed like a lifetime since he had last eaten. He laid a large, yellow-green apple in front of each pokemon, and wasted no time in starting his own. He munched away with a complete lack of decorum, juice running down his dusty cheeks. Snatch and Sheila gnawed on their apples like a dog would a bone, holding them between their front paws and tucking in with gusto. Sheila's eyes glowed as she licked juice off of her muzzle.

_"It's good!" _she said brightly. _"Much better than foraging in iron acorns." _Wes raised an eyebrow. _"Iron acorns?" _Snatch nodded vigorously, pointing at a group of metallic trash cans with his tail. _"Those things." _he said. _"There's enough food in them, if you know where to look, but most of it is spoiled and dirty. Not nearly as good as these apples." _Wes laughed aloud. "Those aren't acorns, Snatch! They're called trash cans. Hardly anyone uses them anymore, though." Sheila stared at him quizzically, abandoning her nearly-finished apple. _"Why?"_

Wes shrugged. "I'm not sure. I haven't been inside a building long enough to look."

Snatch's ears suddenly pricked up.

"_Do you hear that?" _

Wes froze.

Sheila slowly got to her paws, her mouth slightly open to taste the air.

"_Human cubs. And they're coming this way." _

No sooner had she spoken than a group of young boys rounded the corner. They looked about Wes's age, but the similarities stopped there. They wore clean, pressed clothing, carefully brushed and parted hair, and shoes on their feet. The boys laughed boisterously, elbowing each other in the ribs, until they saw Wes. Then they froze, the laughter gone from their faces. After a moment's terse silence, a heavyset boy stepped forward. He was the picture of cleanliness, his blonde hair parted neatly on his plump head and his face freshly scrubbed. He looked like the kind of happy, laughing child Wes saw in toy stores, except for his eyes. Those watery, cruel, calculating eyes.

"Who are you?" he demanded. Wes stood up, his breakfast forgotten. "Who are _you_?" he spat. "This isn't your alley. I'm allowed to eat here if I want to."

Topaz eyes bored into blue ones as the two seven-year-olds stared each other down. A nervous-looking red haired boy elbowed the blonde.

"Vance, look!" he whispered. "Eevees!" Vance's small blue eyes widened as they rested on the Eevees. Then they narrowed greedily. And Wes hated him for it.

"Where did you get those?" the rich boy demanded, "You couldn't have caught them- you aren't ten yet. And your mother can't even afford to clean you properly, so you obviously couldn't have bought such rare-"

"You shut up about my mother!" Wes barked, fists clenched. Vance grinned. He had struck a nerve.

"I'll say whatever I like about your mother, ratboy." he said coldly, his cohorts sniggering.

"Now, where did you get those Eevees?" Sheila seemed apart from the scene, staring far into the distance, but Snatch snarled, baring his fangs. The boys winced.

"I'll ask you one more time," Vance growled, eyeing the plucky male warily. "Tell me where I can get some, or I'll take yours." Wes burned with cold fury. Vance only shrugged, abandoning the issue.

"Now that you mention it, I'll just take your pokemon anyway. It's not like _you've_ got a use for them."

At that moment, several things happened at once.

Wes threw himself at Vance just as a rather obtuse dark-haired boy made a grab for Sheila. Snatch was instantly upon him, howling with rage. All was chaos in the alley as the boys screamed and hollered, trying to snatch the clawing, biting Eevees while Vance and Wes went hammer and tongs. Wes pinned the bigger boy to the ground and hurled punches at his pudgy face, scoring several hits. But Vance had not given up. He kicked out with his legs, throwing the smaller boy into the wall with a sickening crunch. Stunned and fighting for breath, Wes found himself dodging a flurry of blows and curses.

"Take _that, _you hobo!"

Pain lanced through Wes's face as Vance's fist sunk into his eye. He growled savagely, tackling the bigger boy, but he quickly found himself pinned beneath Vance's bulk, thrashing wildly and fighting for air. But it was no good- Vance was too big, and Wes's struggles were growing weaker. His lungs screamed for air and the blackness at the edges of his vision threatened to swallow him. He could hear the sad, faraway voices growing louder and clearer... any moment now and they would be on top of him. But he gritted his teeth and steeled himself for one final effort. He would not let it end here! Wes gave a colossal heave with his last ounce of strength and hurled Vance off of him. The bigger boy collapsed to the ground and Wes seized his chance, unleashing his fury on his would-be murderer. He was conscious of nothing but the crunch of skin on bone and a terrible, animal rage as he rained down blow after blow. Vance was struggling in vain to escape when Wes felt strong arms jerk them apart.

"ENOUGH!"

Wes recognized the voice immediately, cursing.

Venn.

The shopkeeper's chest heaved as though he had run for miles. He had seized both boys by the back of their shirts, one in each hand. The others were frozen in place, terrified by the mask of twisted fury upon Venn's face. Even Vance looked dumbstruck.

But not Wes. Instead, his eyes burned with irritation.

He wanted another go at Vance. And Venn had ruined it. He had stuck his preachy, all-seeing nose in Wes's business _again._

"You're a right pack of rats, you know that?" the shopkeeper snarled. "Attacking a boy littler than you, stealing pokemon. Your mums'll hear about this, make no mistake." He released Wes and Vance.

"Now go home. Get!"

The bratty boys needed no second bidding. They made an undignified scramble out of the alley, Sheila hissing at them all the way. Wes turned to his Eevees, but Venn held his shoulder firmly.

"Not you. You're not going anywhere."

Wes gritted his teeth. His injuries were beginning to throb, and he was in no mood for a lecture. He yanked his shoulder away.

"You stay away from me!" he snarled. Venn met his glare unflinchingly. "You did a curst fool thing, lad. If I hadn't been there-"

"I would have been fine!" he cried. Snatch and Sheila flinched. _"Wes-"_

"We were handling it just fine without you." he said sharply, ignoring them. "We don't need your pity-"

"'Handling it fine,' eh?" said Venn, eyebrows raised. "Generally people who are 'handling it fine' don't have a black eye and split lip."

Wes gingerly touched his eye and flinched as a bolt of pain seared his face.

"And as for my pity," said Venn conversationally, "You don't want it, so I won't give it. I didn't come here to feel sorry for you."

"So why did you come?" Wes snapped. The shopkeeper gestured to Sheila.

"Ask her."

Wes turned to Sheila, who looked shamefaced. He was absolutely dumbfounded.

"_What-?"_

"_It's true." _she said quietly. _"I could tell that it would come to a fight, and there was no way we could win. I called out for help, and he answered."_

It took him a moment for the enormity of the situation to wash over him.

"_He _answered_?"_

"Aye."

Wes jumped, whirling around to face Venn. "You can hear her?"

He nodded. "Most true trainers have the gift, lad."

Wes hesitated. "Could those boys hear her too?"

Venn chuckled. "I doubt those little terrors could hear anything. They don't have half your guts, Wes."

The little boy's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name?"

Wes didn't even have to see Snatch's ears droop. He already knew.

"Don't be too hard on 'em, now." the shopkeeper said gently. "They were only trying to help."

Wes sighed, defeated. He could feel another sermon coming on. Any minute now.

But none came. Instead,Venn gestured to the alleyway's entrance.

"Well, now seems like an excellent time to leave, don't you think?"

"_Leave?" _echoed Sheila. _"They wouldn't dare come back, would they?" _

"Not alone." said Venn gravely. "They're too cowardly for that. But they'll certainly bring the police."

Wes cursed inwardly. "They'll split us up if they find us, won't they?"

"You'll be lucky to stay out of the tank, lad. You've scored several punches on the mayor's son."

"I don't care. He deserved it for trying to steal Snatch and Sheila."

Venn was unable to suppress a smile. "Aye, he did, but that's no cause for hitting him. You still nearly got yourself killed."

"_No he didn't." _piped up Snatch._"Vance doesn't have the guts to kill anyone."_

The older man looked at the Eevee with something like pity in his eyes. "Maybe. But you'd all be plenty more bloodied up than this, and that's as good as a death sentence 'round here."

Venn suddenly turned, as if listening to something no one else could hear.

"We're wasting time. Come on, you three- it's going to be a long night."

Wes glanced up and, true to the shopkeeper's word, the sun began vanishing below the rooftops.

The sky was the color of blood.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: A Bitter Pill**

How did he get himself into this? Once again, Wes found himself in Venn's shop, seated on a stool. Once again, the shopkeeper examined him with those ice-blue eyes. And once again, he was sure to be in for a lecture. The only difference was that the Eevees were with him this time, sitting on the cold granite counter. And instead of the afternoon sun filtering through the windows, the inky blackness of night swallowed the streets, broken only by the glare of neon lights.

"Have you no mother?"

The question jarred the boy from his thoughts, and he whipped his gaze away from the window.

"What?"

Venn repeated himself, "Don't you have parents, Wes?"

"No." he said bluntly. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Venn raised his eyebrows. "What gives you that impression?"

"You didn't send me home, like those other boys. You dragged me here." Wes had long since dispensed with pleasantries- he was tired and sore in a thousand places, and could care less about offending the storekeeper. But Venn was unfazed by his brusque tone.

"Aye, I did. It's not good for someone like you to be on the streets, lad."

Wes scoffed. So Venn was just like Madam Opalia after all. "Where else would I go- an institution?"

The older man only chuckled, his barrel-like chest shaking. "Do you even know what an institution is?"

Wes scowled and gave no answer. The silence lengthened, and Venn made no move to break it until Snatch piped up.

"_Why were we so wrong to fight those boys?"_

Everyone in the room jumped- Snatch was the last creature in the room anyone had expected to speak.

But he continued doggedly, _"Wes couldn't just let them take us away, could he? He had to fight back, no matter how dangerous it was." _

Venn considered the Eevee for a moment, eyes twinkling. Then, without warning, he strode over to a shelf behind the counter and began rummaging among the boxes.

"True," he said, without turning. "You had a right to defend yourselves. But there's a fine line between self-defense and savagery. It's what separates civilized creatures and beasts."

Venn didn't say it- he didn't have to. But Wes knew that they had crossed that line today. And, though he couldn't explain why, it made his stomach squirm guiltily.

"Have you three ever heard of a Pokemon Battle?"

Wes smiled. Venn would be hard-pressed to find a single child in Orre who hadn't.

"Of course I have!" said Wes eagerly. "I was on my way to watch one- a big one, the day the truck rolled over me." It still made him shudder to think of the giant iron monster rushing toward him, screeching and squealing like a wounded animal. Venn sighed, his face darkening. "Oh... yes." he said quietly. "I saw that battle." Sheila's brow furrowed, but she said nothing. Venn shook himself, as if warding off an irksome fly. "You didn't miss much, laddie. Now,"

With a flourish, the storekeeper placed a small, metallic object on the counter.

"Know what this is?"

Wes gasped, flipping it open.

"It's a PDA! A _trainer's_ PDA!"

The Eevees cooed excitedly, and Snatch bent his head to sniff it. It was about as big as the palm of Wes's hand, smooth and streamlined, with glowing green touch screens on the inside. When he'd finally torn his gaze away from it, he looked at Venn in a new light, a flood of questions bursting to erupt from his lips. In the end, though, he settled with one.

"Can I keep this?"

Venn nodded. "It's yours. You already seem to know what it's for, so I'll cut to the chase."

Wes's excitement faded a little.

"The PDA isn't a toy- it's a tool. And you ought to learn to use it." Wes could see where this was going, but he remained silent.

"Most lads your age don't have pokemon yet- let alone a pair of Eevees. But you do, and you need to know how to train them properly."

Wes raised an eyebrow. "Like the PDA?"

The storekeeper nodded. "Aye. You have what it takes, Wes. You've only had Snatch 'an Sheila for two days, yet you're thick as thieves. They're willing to fight for you- die for you, even. And you for them."

The Eevees said nothing, but Wes knew it in their hearts to be true.

"But they _will _die if you keep picking fights like this. To be a real pokemon trainer, you need to learn how to defend yourself and your pokemon without becoming an animal." He snorted. "And, judging by today's events, you don't have a bloody clue."

Wes stiffened indignantly, opening his mouth to retort, but Sheila cut him off.

"_He has a point, Wes." Her soft brown eyes were narrowed determinedly. "Vance isn't the first bully Snatch and I have had to deal with, and he won't be the last."_

The bigger Eevee nodded in agreement. _"We have to get stronger if we hope to find our families again." _

Wes sighed. He knew they were right, but Venn's remark still stung. Painfully aware that the shopkeeper could still be listening, he answered,

"_But learning from _him_? How do we know we can trust him?"_

Sheila blinked. _"Do we have any evidence to the contrary?"_

Wes scowled.

"_Pride is a bitter pill to swallow, isn't it?"_

Everyone in the room jumped at the unfamiliar voice, but only Wes and his pokemon appeared terrified as it's owner limped into the room. A fully-grown Infernape stood before them. His head was alight with flickering, dancing flames, and his eyes were framed by a bright red mask. One of his muscular calves was swathed in bandages. but he was otherwise unharmed. In fact, amusement was etched into his masked face. Like Venn, there were slight signs of aging around his eyes, but he stood nearly as tall as the storekeeper and looked no less formidable. Squealing in terror, Snatch and Sheila dashed beneath the counter. Wes considered joining them.

"I thought you were supposed to be resting, Rem?" scolded Venn, after he tore his eyes away from the cowering trio.

"_And miss this? Not on your life."_ He scrutinized Wes through mischievous yellow eyes.

"_So Wes is your name, is it?"_ he asked. For a few moments, the little boy's mouth could not form words. He nodded shakily. "Y-yes sir."

The Infernape chuckled.

"_By jove, Venn- he must think I'm some kind of attack dog." _

Venn only laughed, shaking his head.

Directing his attention back to to Wes, Rem gave an elegant (Though slightly encumbered) leg.

"_Enough with the 'sir.' The name's Remmcliffe Howle, son of none. Call me Rem." _He winked._ "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Wes, though you seem rather horrorstruck by mine."_

Venn was nearly beside himself with laughter now, and the scene would have been quite comical if Wes was not so completely petrified.

"_A-are you going to teach us how to battle?"_ squeaked Sheila, still underneath the counter. Rem ducked his head underneath the granite to investigate, and grinned at them.

"_You must be Snatch and Sheila! Venn's told me quite a bit about you- all three of you. And yes, if you'll have us, Venn, myself, and the rest of the troops will teach you everything you need to know."_

Snatch shrunk further, if possible, beneath the counter. _"You mean there's_ more_ of you?" _

Now the Infernape looked sincerely puzzled.

_"Of course there are- surely you've seen another Pokemon before? Other than Sheila, of course."_ he added, dipping his head to the little Eevee. Snatch nodded timidly.

"_Yes- but I've never seen anything like you before."_

Rem chuckled._ "Of course you haven't. I'm from the Sinnoh region, and that's a long way from here-" _

"_Hey, did you evolve from a Mankey?"_ interrupted Sheila, cocking her head. Rem drew his head out from under the counter, affronted.

"_A Mankey? The idea of it! I'll have you know I'm 100 percent pedigreed Infernape, not some slobbering, brainless-" _

"Now, now, Rem- it's not her fault." said Venn, recovering from his fit of merriment. "Sheila can't be expected to know what she wasn't taught."

Snatch poked his head out from underneath the counter.

"_Are there other Eevees in Sinnoh?" _

Venn thought for a moment, "It's been nearly thirty years since I set foot there, but last I remember, there were a fair few."

Both Eevees visibly brightened. They said nothing, for fear of Rem or Venn hearing them, but Wes could tell that they were thinking of their lost families.

"_Will you teach us about Sinnoh?" "How far away is it?" "Do they have a forest?" "Can we go right now?"_

The flood of questions cascaded from Snatch and Sheila's minds as they fought to talk over one another. Venn chuckled. "Easy there! Aye, we'll teach you all about the other regions- and much else besides."

He inclined his head towards Wes.

"That is, if you'll let us."

The Evees scampered out from underneath the counter, scrambling up one of the stools to sit beside Wes.

_ "C'mon, Wes! Let's do it!" _exclaimed Snatch, squeaking excitedly. Sheila nodded vigorously. _"Yes- let's! Think of all they have to teach us- there might be even more than Sinnoh out there!" _her eyes sparkled. _"The world might be_ huge!_" _

Snatch crouched low like a hunting Persian, giving a little wriggle of excitement.

"_And I want to learn to battle! Think of how tough we'd get from fighting _Rem_!"_

Wes sighed, and couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. Their joy was infectious. But a nagging bitterness still clawed at his chest- taking help from Venn was almost more than he could bear. But all the same, he could not deny his curiosity. He had learned a few things about the other regions from Madam Opalia's customers and the Whispers, but they were like scraps blowing in the wind. Fleeting. Inconsistent. The regions beyond Orre's borders had always seemed like far-off dreamlands- Wes could think about them, but inside he knew that he would never reach them. But Venn made Sinnoh sound, not only tangible, but positively _easy_ to reach. He glanced again at his pokemon. If their parents were out there, he was honor-bound to find them. And learning to battle- really battle- make him wriggle with excitement every time he thought of it. Now, instead of _watching_ the town's champion, they could _challenge_ him. And challenge anyone else who stood in their way. Certainly any amount of time with Venn was worth that? Wes turned to face the storekeeper, his mind made up.

"We'll do it."

The two Eevees bounced with excitement, nearly tumbling off the stool. _"Hooray!" "I knew you'd do it, Wes!" "When do we start?" "Can we start right now?" "I'll bet _I'm_ the best battler!"_

The old pokemon and trainer laughed. _"All right then, all right! But it's much too late to start today." _Rem gave Venn a sidelong glance._ "Tomorrow, then?" _The storekeeper nodded, his eyes still fixed on Wes."Aye. Tomorrow'll be fine. Report back here at 12 o'clock tomorrow."

The Eevees paused in their merriment for a moment, their faces puzzled.

"What's that?" asked Wes. Venn looked at him strangely. "What are you talking about, lad?"

"12 o' clock. Is it a place?"

the shopkeeper shook his head, chuckling. "No, lad. It's a time. You can't tell time, can you?" But he continued without giving him a chance to respond. "Perhaps that's for the better. Come back to the shop when the sun is at it's highest, all right? Now, if you need a place to stay-"

He looked up from the counter to see the door swinging in the night- the only evidence that Wes and his pokemon had ever been in the store. Rem shook his head. _"Doesn't like to stay and chat, does he?"_

Venn only shrugged. The infernape didn't press him further, limping onto one of the stools. He let the silence solidify for a few moments as both pokemon and trainer watched the door slowly swing into stillness.

"_You really believe in him, don't you?"_

Venn leaned back in his chair behind the counter, meeting his friend's searching stare.

"He's just what Marcell is looking for. All he needs is some direction."

the fiery pokemon scoffed. _"Don't insult my intelligence, Venn. This isn't about CORP, or Marcell." _

Venn raised his eyebrows. "Are you implying something, Rem?"

The Infernape shook his head. _"I don't need to. We all know why you're so passionate about this."_

The storekeeper scowled at his friend for a moment, then tore his gaze away, staring unseeingly at the window.

"I keep my promises."

"_Do you, now?"_

Venn whipped his head away from the window. "If you've got a bone to pick, then spit it out, Rem! I'm in no mood for your games."

The Infernape returned his friend's icy glare. _"You promised Heidi that we wouldn't get involved in this. You told her that you'd let them choose."_

"Heidi's dead."

"_And we'll _all_ be dead if Arceus finds out what you're doing."_

"To blazes with Arceus. Heidi told me to watch over him and his sister, didn't she?"

Rem sighed exasperatedly._ "Watch over them, yes- not train Wes to fight Marcell's battles. CORP just wants to _use_ him, Venn!" _

"You said this isn't about CORP."

"_I know it isn't, but you know that he'll get entangled in all this. Cipher isn't going to stay underground much longer, and when they surface, CORP will meet them."_

"I won't let him get hurt."

Rem shook his head._ "It's war, Venn. Can you really guarantee that?"_

The storekeeper laughed bitterly. "I didn't hear you complaining not 10 minutes ago."

"_That was different. I know where you're going with this, Venn- I know you too well. You don't want him to make your mistakes. You want him on the right side when battle breaks out, just like Marcell."_

Venn's face was a mask of cold fury, his voice a clipped snarl. "I am _nothing_ like Marcell. Not where Wes is concerned."

Rem shrugged nonchalantly, but his eyes were cold._ "Maybe, Venn. But we all want to use the Light Children for our own purposes. Marcell, Cipher, us. Everybody wants a piece of their future."_

The storekeeper sighed, burying his face in his hands. He looked years older than he had but a few minutes earlier. "We're doing the right thing, Rem. I know we are."

The infernape slumped in the stool, tracing patterns on the counter with his paw. _"We're trying, Venn. But in the end, we'll have to let him make his own choice- his sister too, when her surrogate father decides she's ready. We can't force them to stay on our side." _

Venn raised his head, though the fight was gone from his eyes. "So you'd let Cipher influence them?"

"_I'd let no one influence them until they're ready. Especially Marcell."_

His eyes softened into something like pity as he looked into Venn's.

"_They're not Heidi's children, Venn. They were made by Pokemon for Pokemon. And not even they can bring her back." _

_.................................................................AUTHOR'S NOTE......................................................................_

_**Sorry if that was a bit unclear. Looks like Wes and *GASP* almost told you!- aren't human after all. But what's CORP? Who is the mysterious Heidi, and how does Venn know her? *evil grin* Keep reading!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: The Troops**

The next day came with a myriad of aches and bruises. Wes and his pokemon had collapsed into the Fortress the previous night, completely and utterly exhausted. Yesterday had been a long day, and today didn't look much better.

"You guys feeling alright?" he asked, gingerly bending stiffened limbs. His pokemon nodded. Though Snatch's ear was nicked and both Eevees bore scratches, neither were seriously hurt. It was Wes who had sustained the worst injuries. His blackened eye had swollen shut, and his lip was crusted with dried blood. His arms and legs were riddled with bruises, and his head throbbed dully in time with his other injuries.

"_Maybe you ought to stay here." _said Sheila seriously. _"That wound on your eye looks awful."_

But Wes shook his head, sending another throb coursing through his limbs.

"No way. Don't worry, Sheila- it's not as bad as it looks."

Truthfully, Wes didn't want to give Venn the satisfaction of seeing his pain. He would show the fat old windbag that he could take care of himself. That was when it hit him.

Hunger.

His belly felt like a hollowed-out barrel, empty and aching. The hunger washed over him in debilitating waves, and Wes was shocked that he hadn't noticed it before.

"_I'm starved." _

Sheila nodded in agreement. _"None of us have eaten anything but an apple apiece in two days."_

Two days! A pang of hunger washed over Wes again.

"You're right, Sheila. We all need food." He crawled out of the Fortress, and blinked as the morning sun stung his eyes.

"_It's going to be hot today." _sighed Sheila.

Wes nodded grimly. "All the more reason to get food now. You two wait here."

They sat obediently, though somewhat reluctantly, in the dusty alley. But they did not have long to wait- Wes was back in a few minutes with the corners of a checkered cloth in one hand, forming a weighty-looking bag. "Breaskfast is served!" he said proudly, letting the makeshift sack drop open. The Eevee's ears shot up in surprise at what they saw. Spread out on the cloth were two small loaves of bread, three apples, a little jug of water, and a hunk of yellow cheese.

"And for dessert..." with a flourish, Wes presented a few strips of smoked meat. Their eyes glowed as they sniffed the thick, succulent smell.

"Dig in!"

No one needed second bidding. They were all famished, and fell upon the food with gusto. For several minutes, only the sounds of chewing and delighted yips between bites could be heard from the alley. Once they had slackened off a bit, precious little food remained. Even the water was nearly gone, as Wes had poured most of it into shallow jar lids for his friends. He drank his share directly from the jug.

"_Where did you get all of this, Wes?" _asked Snatch, licking cheese off his muzzle. Wes continued crunching his apple, thinking for a moment. "Westbrooke, I think. Yeah- corner of Westbrook and Cross street. There was a little grocery store there, run by a guy called Mr. Pennyworth. I like him. He's really stupid."

Sntach's eyes widened._ "So you _stole_ it from him? Just like that?" _

"It's not stealing, it's hunting." Wes said firmly. "We needed food, so I got some. As long as we don't take too much, no one will notice. Besides, he makes enough money to make up for the stuff we took."

Satisfied, Snatch resumed nibbling what was left of the cheese. But now Sheila cocked her head, abandoning a small chunk of meat.

"_So you hunted for the stuff in the Fortress, too?"_

"I guess so."

In truth, Wes had never really thought about the morality behind his filching habit. He stole food because he needed to eat. He stole trinkets because he wanted them. Nothing would change his need for food or desire for things, so why worry about it?

"_But you don't need that stuff to survive."_

"But I wanted it. No one was going to give it to me. No one gives anything to me. So I have to fight for what I want."

Snatch nodded, turning to Sheila._ "It makes sense to me."_

The smaller Eevee shrugged. _"I guess so." _

She glanced up at the sky. _"Wes,"_ she said slowly.

"Yeah, Sheila?"

"_Were we supposed to be somewhere... when the sun reaches it's height?" _

Snatch nodded. _"Venn's shop. Why?"_

"_Because it's nearly past it's zenith already." _

Wes cursed, rapidly packing up the remainder of the lunch. "Quick! One of you get the PDA!"

Both Eevees dashed inside the fortress, churning up puffs of dust in their wake. Wes cursed himself for a hundred types of an idiot as he threw things pell-mell into the middle of the cloth, fumbling as he tied it shut. How could he not have noticed how late it was? They must have woken scarcely before noon. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He could almost see the smug look on Venn's face as he lectured Wes for being late. How could this have happened?

Just then, Snatch emerged from the Fortress, with the PDA held between his teeth. Both of them hobbled awkwardly as they tried to nudge the Pokeballs towards him at the same time. The scene would have been quite comical, if time was not so incredibly scarce. He haphazardly shoved the PDA in his pocket, and drew the Pokeballs.

"Do you mind...?"

They shook their heads, and it was all over in a flash of red light. After shoving the Pokeballs in with the PDA and tossing the sack in the Fortress with an ominous crash, they were ready to leave. Wes wasted no time with farewells and dashed out of the alley, the sun rising relentlessly in the sky.

--

"_He's late." _

Venn shot a hard stare at his friend, the previous night's argument still fresh in his mind.

"He'll come, Rem." he said firmly. The Infernape shrugged.

"_I don't doubt it. He'd do anything to prove you wrong."_

Venn gave a derisive snort. "Aye, he's headstrong. But it's _you _who doesn't believe in him."

The Infernape tore his gaze from the sky, eyeing his partner almost warily.

"_I never said that." _

"You may as well have."

"_You assume too much."_

"Do I?"

Rem snorted irritably. _"Yes. You do. And it's nearly killed us more than once." _

Venn chuckled. "Those were the good old days, eh?_"_

"_We were much younger in the good old days."_

"Losing your adventurous spirit, Rem?"

"_Only my ability to readily dodge bullets."_

Just then, Wes burst into the small yard, breathing heavily.

"Here.... I am...." he rasped, doubled over. He had run as fast as he could the whole way, and his legs were weak and shaking. Venn and Rem were remarkably unmoved.

"_I suppose the physical test is out of the question, Venn?"_

"_For a while, at least. The lad needs a break."_

Wes had heard the communication between Venn and his pokemon, and he stood up straight, fighting to slow his pounding heart. "I'm fine." he rasped, trying in vain to hide his considerable panting. Venn chuckled. "You're about as fine as a Swellow flattened under a truck. Take a breather, lad. We'll be back in a tick- there's someone I want you to meet."

With a bizarre mixture of relief and indignation, Wes nodded. Once he was sure both Rem and Venn had vanished into the shop, he sunk to the ground and sucked in great gulps of air. All of his injuries from the previous night throbbed in unison, and a stitch had formed in his side. His chest burned- nothing had ever tasted as cool and sweet as that afternoon's air. A few minutes after he had recovered, he felt his pocket shift, and quickly removed the indignantly wiggling Pokeballs. Twin flashes of light released Snatch and Sheila.

They wasted no time with pleasantries.

_ "I could see Rem from inside the ball! He looks even BIGGER when he's outdoors!" "And who are we meeting? Did Venn tell you?" "Is it a Pokemon?" _

Wes could not begin to answer the flurry of questions. "Hey- HEY! He didn't tell me anything, but-"

The small gate connecting the secluded yard to the shop creaked open. Wes's jaw dropped.

This Pokemon was HUGE.

It towered over both Rem and Venn, and both of them could have ridden on it's back. The creature was stockily built with four thick, tawny-brown legs, and a long neck. Huge tropical leaves grew on it's back, resembling wings, and large yellow fruits hung under the chin.

Rem introduced it._ "This is Ernest. He's a Tropius, and judging by the look on your faces, you've never encountered one before."_

Wes tried not to tremble- he was deaf to Rem's unflattering remarks. All he cared about was trying not to shrink from the behemoth before him,which was the largest Pokemon he had ever laid eyes on. Snatch and Sheila hid behind his legs, shaking. Only their heads peeked out from behind him. Again, Venn had to restrain himself from laughing aloud at their misplaced terror. Ernest did laugh, an amused twinkle in his eyes. Wes relaxed a little.

"_Don't be afraid- I'm not going to hurt you." _the Tropius said quietly._ "I'm going to teach you." _

he smoothly lowered his long neck until his head was at Wes's eye level, inches from his face.

"_Yes, my fellows and I will teach you many things. But first- your name... Wes, is it?" _

He nodded blankly, all too conscious of the large head inches from his own. Ernest retracted his head, turning to Venn and Rem._ "He has promise. Will we begin the lesson now?"_ The storekeeper nodded."Aye."

A moment's silence enveloped the yard, broken only by a sudden clap from Rem. _"Well, I can see that I'm no longer needed here."_ he said briskly, as he limped heavily out of the yard._ "Good luck to you, Wes. You're going to need it."_

The old gate creaked to a close, and Rem disappeared from view.

"Where is he going?" asked Wes. Hadn't Rem promised to teach them as well?

Ernest answered, _"Remcliffe has other business to attend to this afternoon. Besides, his injured leg puts him at a disadvantage." _

"_Fat chance."_ thought Wes darkly._ "He could slaughter all three of us with_ two _injured legs."_

"_Be that as it may, we don't want to reopen his wound." _

Wes winced- he had forgotten that both Ernest and Venn could hear them. But the kindly old pokemon was not angered by his remarks. _"Now, we_ must _start the lesson."_ he inclined his head toward his partner._ "Would you like to begin, Venn?" _

"Aye."The storekeeper stepped several paces back until he stood behind Ernest.

"Look at the ground, lad. See anything familiar?"

A large circle had been gouged into the earth- stretching almost across the entire yard. Three Ernest-sized pokemon could have fit comfortably inside.

Wes recognized it immediately. "It's a boundary zone, to stop the battle from spilling out into the crowd. Just like the one at the Battle Circle."

The shopkeeper nodded. "Right. But we're going to be doing a different sort of battling today. Ever watched a match at the Battle Circle, lad?"

Wes nodded. "Yes."

Obviously. What did Venn think he was- stupid? He practically_ lived_ in the Battle Circle. But the storekeeper paid no mind to his disdain.

"Good. Then you'll notice that trainers shout commands to their pokemon to direct the battle. But they don't always dictate exactly what happens- a lass might simply shout 'charge him,' while her pokemon performs a thunder tackle. Pokemon always do more than they're told, and sometimes they'll perform different moves entirely. Ever wondered why?"

Now Wes was intrigued. He had often asked himself the same question- even listening to the Whispers of the battlers, but he had gleaned nothing from them. He had assumed that Pokemon simply knew their trainers well enough to predict the meanings behind their commands, but Venn seemed to be suggesting something different. Mystical.

Ernest continued, _"Pokemon and trainers communicate their strategy through their minds during battle. And-"_

"_But that doesn't make sense!" _blurted Snatch. He was silenced by a hard stare from Ernest.

"_Sorry..."_

_ "You must not interrupt us, Snatch."_ said the Tropius firmly. _"Our teachings today are of the utmost importance. They are the foundation of those to come." _

Snatch's ears drooped, but Ernest gave no further reproach.

"_As I was saying, Pokemon and trainers communicate their strategy mentally, sometimes within a split second, on the field of battle. This way, it is difficult for the opponent to predict their next move." _

Wes's brow furrowed. _._

"But Snatch is right- that doesn't make sense. Any real trainer can hear thoughts. If you told Ernest to attack me right now, I would still be able to hear you and avoid him."

Venn dipped his head. "Aye. You would. Unless we didn't _want _you to hear him."

For a moment, Wes was completely and utterly unable to comprehend this information.

"You mean.... you can _block_ the voices? Stop people from hearing you?"

All of his life, the Whispers had been both blessing and curse. Though he loved being able to communicate with the town's Pokemon, the noise was sometimes overwhelming- leaving him incapacitated for minutes at a time. And then there were those terrible, far-off voices...

Wes shuddered. "How do you do that?"

"_Haven't Snatch or Sheila ever shut you out of their minds?"_

He remembered last night in the alley, just before the fight. Sheila had been staring off into the distance, and later admitted to contacting Venn. But he hadn't heard a word from her.

"Sheila did. Last night, right before the..."

He trailed off, silenced by the bloodthirsty memories.

"...when she contacted Venn."

Ernest dipped his head. _"And how did you accomplish this feat, Sheila?"_

The usually spirited Eevee quailed at being put on the spot.

"_I... It's hard to explain. I just closed myself in... I only thought about the p-person I was trying to contact." _

Venn smiled. "Aye- that's the idea. You must keep your focus narrow and tight- otherwise your thoughts will slip free and be heard by others in the area."

Wes suddenly paled.

"Do you mean.... you've heard all of the things I've thought around you before now?"

Venn and Ernest laughed- Ernest's deep voice sending tremors through the ground.

"No, lad." chuckled Venn. "Only when you extend your mind to another is it vulnerable to eavesdropping. I haven't heard anything you haven't said to your pokemon in my presence. Not only that, but any trainer with a shred of decency stays out of others' minds unless it's absolutely necessary."

His eyes glittered. "You talk like you've got somethin' to hide."

But Venn did not press the subject further, and Wes decided that he meant it as a joke.

Or a warning.

Venn continued, "You know the theory. Now we'll put it to practice."

Wes braced himself for attack, but Venn did nothing of the kind. Instead, he rummaged in his pocket, drawing out a small silver bell, about the size of a walnut. He tossed it into the center of the circle. "Close your mind to all but Snatch and Sheila and try to take the bell."

"_We will only block the commands that we overhear." _added Ernest.

Wes swallowed hard. Snatch and Sheila were scarcely ankle-height to Ernest. He could feel their fear as if it was their own.

"_Are you ready for this?" _

It was the same question, he realized, that he had asked them in the beginning.

They remembered, and their trembling ceased.

Snatch's eyes narrowed in determination.

"_We're ready."_

Wes closed the barriers around his thoughts- barriers he scarcely knew he had. He tried to think of all the ways he'd blocked the sad Whispers, the clamor of the town. The background noise in his mind suddenly faded into nothingness, and he was left in blissful silence. Save of course, for the thoughts of his Pokemon. He took a deep breath.

"_Snatch! Sheila! Charge it!" _

They obeyed, and streaked across the field. He watched them in trepidation- they were nearly upon the bell. Ernest was as still as a statue. Wes grinned. Too easy!

Almost faster than he could see, both Pokemon were swatted aside. Vines whipped out from Ernest's body, tripping Sheila again as she scrambled to her paws.

"Overconfidence will destroy you." said Venn calmly. "Your concentration lapsed. Again!"

Wes and his Pokemon tried several more times to snatch the bell, each try more wild and futile than the last. Wes was growing increasingly frustrated, and Ernest had hardly moved from his place, a slightly amused expression on his face. Snatch and Sheila, on the other hand, were panting with exhaustion.

"_They're toying with us!" _Wes snarled.

Sheila only gave him a tired nod in reply.

Venn, too, looked amused. They expected him to fail.

Wes clenched his fists. No more. No more! Time to give it one last try, and wipe the smirk off Venn's face.

He put up his barriers again, being sure that Ernest and Venn were simply buzzing entities set firmly outside of his mind.

"_Snatch, charge again. While he's doing that, Sheila, go for Ernest directly." _

"_We've tried that twice now, Wes." _moaned Sheila. _"It's no good. There's no way we can get around them, and they know it."_

"Just trust me." said Wes, unwilling to communicate his plan to them, lest Venn and Ernest should hear.

He had to be absolutely sure that this would work.

The attack began, and Ernest lazily flicked out a vine to trip Snatch. He had seen this maneuver before.

He held his gaze upon Snatch a little longer, letting Sheila dash closer. It was all the time Wes needed.

He tore across the field, yelling a savage war cry just as Sheila was knocked to the ground. Ernest froze in shock for a moment, and Snatch was suddenly on his feet, biting down on the tendril of vine and snapping it. Another wooshed through the air, and the wind was knocked out of Wes as he crashed to the ground, his shins stinging from the blow to his legs.

But not before his hand closed around the bell.

"Got it!"

Snatch flung away the vine and dashed towards him, finding new strength in his weary limbs.

"_You did it!" _

Sheila soon joined them, her brown eyes sparkling.

"We_ did it."_

"_Interesting."_

All three of their heads whipped up at Ernest's words, expecting a reprimand. But both he and Venn looked intrigued.

"Interesting." Venn conceded. "You can't pull a stunt like that in a real battle, lad, but you broke _our_ concentration instead. Not the point of_ this _lesson, but you ought to be pretty good at the next one."

Ernest nodded, as if confirming a theory.

"_You've done well, Wes. It will be interesting to see how you progress." _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Lessons Learned**

Over the next few weeks, Wes and his Pokemon practiced their skills with a renewed intensity- they soon managed to steal the bell again and again without the use of trickery.

Wes found himself standing in the dirt circle once more, but this time, he was unsettled. Ernest and Venn were nowhere to be found- only Rem stood at the opposite end of the yard. The bandage on his leg was gone, but a deep, gouging scar was left it's place, and he had gathered several more since Wes had last seen him. Rem refused to answer questions and stared blankly into the distance, but by now, Wes knew what he was doing.

"_Who is he contacting?"_

Sheila's voice was grave. _"I don't know, but I wouldn't try to eavesdrop." _

Wes sighed. _"We're getting better, you know. Defending our thoughts isn't that hard- I'll bet we could figure out how to attack-"_

"_No." _said Sheila instantly. _"There's a reason that they're withholding that information from us. And besides, if we offend Rem, our lessons might be stopped."_

Snatch also looked grave._ "Then we'd_ never _get to Sinnoh."_

Wes's heart twisted for them. Choosing his words carefully, he said, _"Are you sure that you'll find your families in Sinnoh? It's awfully far away for the ones who stole you to travel, and it's a big region." _

He hated crushing their hopes, but the thought of letting them down later repulsed him even more.

To Wes's surprise, his pokemon didn't look overly disappointed.

"_This is the right thing to do."_ said Snatch simply._ "I can tell. Sinnoh is the place to start looking." _

Wes decided not to press the subject further. All three of them waited in silence as Rem's gaze refocused, though he still looked troubled. It was disturbing to see worry on the face of one that had always been described as a bit of a jokester.

"...Rem?" Wes ventured.

The infernape whipped his head around, as if seeing them for the first time. But his flinty gaze soon softened.

"_My apologies."_ he said briskly._ "We'll have to cancel the lesson today- I have things of an urgent manner to discuss with Venn. You may see yourselves out." _

And with that, he returned his gaze to the sky. Wes followed it, and saw only a bird pokemon circling miles overhead.

Snatch and Sheila turned to leave, but stopped when Wes did not follow.

"_What are you waiting for?" _

"_I want to know what he's talking to Venn about." _

Sheila sighed. _"Wes, you'll get us all in trouble."_

"_No I won't. The two of you don't have to come." _

But they refused to be parted with him, grudgingly followed Wes into a patch of bushes behind the chain-link fence. Once he was sure no one had seen them, he began to extend his mind slowly, tentatively- like a wild animal approaching a member of the opposite species. He flinched as his thoughts mingled with Rem's- which swirled and flashed agitatedly- but the old Infernape made no sign that he had noticed Wes's presence. He whispered aloud to his pokemon, fearing that any thought-contact would alert Rem to their presence.

"I think I've done it."

"_Be careful..."_

Wes waited several minutes, but Rem said nothing. He pressed as hard as he dared against the Infernape's mind, but heard no hidden strains of conversation. Where was Venn?

He followed Rem's gaze again and stiffened in shock.

What he had taken as a bird circling overhead was really Ernest, growing rapidly larger as he descended with Venn on his back. Ernest plummeted the last few feet onto the yard with a ground-shaking THUD. Venn dismounted almost before the Tropius touched down, worry deepening the lines on his face.

"_What's happened?"_

"_The CORP meeting was a disaster. You were right- Marcell was using it as an excuse to question us."_

Wes's eyes were wide. A meeting- that would explain Rem's absence from their lessons.

Ernest's eyes narrowed. _"You shouldn't have gone alone. You should have waited for Maori's return."_

Venn cursed aloud,_"Is that why none of us have seen hide nor hair of you in three weeks? Ernest and I were ready to storm Marcell's fortress and look for you."_

His eyes widened as they slid over Rem's new scars and haunted appearance. _"You look like you've been through the mill- what did they do to you?"_

"_Nothing barbarous, I assure you- but escaping CORP headquarters and getting back without being followed has taken it's toll... I've only been back for about fifteen minutes."_

Venn glanced at his watch._ "It's past noon. Was Wes-?"_

"_I sent him home. He'll be safe there, for now. Marcell knows that we have him, but he doesn't know where. And he didn't learn anything new from me or Maori..."_ Rem suddenly wobbled where he stood, and Venn slung an arm around him to steady him.

"_You need rest."_ said Ernest._ "We can talk later."_

"_No." _said the Infernape instantly, shrugging off Venn's arm._ "I'll be fine. We need to deal with this now." _

Venn shook his head. _"Stubborn as a mule. But where's Maori- wasn't she supposed to go with you?"_

Rem looked grave. _"She did, Venn." he said hesitantly. "She did what you asked of her in Phenac and met me at Headquarters. But Marcell's agents caught up to her at the meeting." _

Ernest stiffened._ "What do you mean? Surely she isn't-" _

"_She's not dead. That much I _do _know. But I couldn't find her in Headquarters and Marcell has refused to say anything. He leads CORP with an iron fist- if he won't talk, no one will."_

Venn stomped his foot. _"Blast it! I'll kill Marcell for this- I thought we were on the same side!"_

"_Weren't you able to contact her at all?" _asked Ernest. _"Marcell can't be so desperate to gather the Light Children that he's willing to make us his enemies. It would be madness."_

"_Marcell is mad- of that I have no doubt."_ sighed Rem._ "But he does not believe himself to be so, which makes it all the worse. He believes that Maori and I are 'enemies to the cause' for hiding Wes from him. He will do anything- anything- to take down Cipher."_

_ "We've known that." _muttered Venn._ "We've always known. But to kidnap Maori... to hold you prisoner... he has become what he hates the most."_

"_Which is why we must keep Wes and his sister from him." _said Ernest gravely._ "With power like theirs at Marcell's command... I shudder to think of what he could do."_

"_We have to keep them safe from all the forces in this war until they are ready." _ Rem spoke to no one in particular, but Venn and Rem's eyes were locked. "_It's what Heidi would have wanted." _

"_Don't you start that again, you-!"_

"_Enough. We cannot fight amongst ourselves!" _chided Ernest. _"Wes and... his sister... will choose their own paths, yes. But they cannot do so without guidance." _

he sighed.

"_And better our help than Marcell or Cipher's."_

Rem looked away pointedly, but his expression was a guilty one.

"_Ernest is right." _ he said, after a time. _"I should not sow discord among us."_

Venn sighed, patting Rem on the shoulder. _"The fault is not entirely yours, old friend. You were right to stop me from blinding myself. That is what separates us from people like Marcell."_

Rem smiled. _"Thank you. I have been... out of sorts.... ever since Maori disappeared. It was wrong of me to mention Heidi when she meant so much to you." _

Venn nodded blankly, his eyes clouded. Wordlessly, the three of them traipsed back towards the shop. Ernest would not have fit inside, so Venn returned him to his Pokeball. The door slammed shut, and the yard faded into silence once again.

Save for the sound of Wes's rapidly beating heart. What he had heard swirled in his mind dizzyingly fast, connecting with what little he already knew, like a pebble starting an avalanche. There was some kind of war going on between Cipher and CORP, whoever they were, and someone named Maori had been captured. But what really blew him away was the mention of his sister. A sister! He had a _sister_! The whole thing felt surreal, like he was watching it happen to someone else. All of his life he had been alone... It wasn't registering- nothing made sense. A sister. He had a sister. Family. Someone who might know him...

...someone who might know what had happened to his mother.

His excited brain swirled with ideas, a phantasmagoria of unlikely outcomes- reuniting, parents, happy laughter, human friends...

"_Wes?"_

He started. In the midst of his elation, he had completely forgotten that his pokemon were still there.

And by the looks on their faces, they had heard everything he did.

"_Do you realize what this means?"_ said Sheila gravely.

Wes froze, confused by the fear in her deep brown eyes. _"What?"_

"_It means that the storm clouds are about to break." _she said quietly. _"Rem, Ernest, and Venn feel what every other Pokemon in the world does- something is coming. The forces of this world have been building in secret for far too long, and when they emerge, they'll want us to join them."_

Snatch nodded, a depth in his eyes that defied his youthfulness.

"_And when that happens, we'll have to make a stand, one way or another." _

_--_

From then onward, the days slipped by with increasing rapidity. Wes and his pokemon continued in their training, growing stronger, faster, and more adept at battling mentally as well as physically. They pretended that they knew nothing of the conversation they had overheard, but Snatch and Sheila never trusted their teachers fully again- and Wes trusted them even less. No matter how they professed to be protecting Wes, they had hidden too much for too long. But neither Venn nor his pokemon revealed any more, and summer's sweltering heat soon faded into a cooler, damper Rainy Season. Venn, Rem, and Ernest instructed the three of them academically as well as in battle techniques. Wes quickly learned to read and write, and once this new world of symbols and letters had been opened up to him, he thirsted for more. He devoured countless books- some borrowed, some stolen, on every subject imaginable. Biology, geography, Pokemon care, and history were just a few. Wes trained harder than ever- this time, not to diffuse Venn's attitude towards him, but to use whatever power they feared he had to find his family. He dared not ask them any direct questions about his sister, but he always had one ear open. When he was old enough, he decided, he would skip town and find her. Snatch and Sheila worked hard as well- whatever baby fat they had once had was gone, replaced by hard, lean muscles. They had grown longer and more graceful over the last few years, and sleek brown guardhairs replaced their fur's downy kitten-softness. But it was not just their training that had made them strong- After their first year of studying, the three of them decided to reveal themselves at the Battle Circle. There were few rules of conduct governing battle there- Wes's first match was against a seasoned trainer of nearly seventeen years. The little boy was nearly laughed off the field- who was this eight-year-old to challenge Martin Slavers, a man undefeated in Doubles combat?

Undefeated, of course, until Snatch and Sheila sent his Pokemon packing.

Wes had become a master of breaking mental defenses- often without his opponents even knowing it- and quickly rose through the ranks of the Battle Circle. Tomorrow, he would finally challenge the local champion- the battle he missed when he was seven years old.

Wes was now thirteen. And he was ready for anything.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_**Yup- BIIIG time jump there. :D Sorry for taking so long to update after Chapter 4- things get busy. Please remember to review, and be on the lookout for Chapter 7!~**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**  
_

_Ugh, not gonna edit this anymore, so sorry for all mistakes- and for the HUGE hiatus! X_X Hope someone still reads this!_

**Chapter 7: The Clouds of War**

Snatch was in pain. He'd woken up early- too excited about the upcoming battle to sleep- and watched Sheila's flanks rise and fall gently in her sleep. He'd almost drifted back off again when a sound rent the night. He leapt up with a VROOWL! of alarm and pain as his head collided with a shelf. _That_ woke Sheila and Wes, who- after realizing that they were not being attacked- found the whole thing quite funny.

"_Somehow, I remember the Fortress being a lot bigger."_ growled Snatch, massaging his still-aching head. Wes laughed- a barklike sound that had deepened in the last year or so. "I think that _you_ were much smaller!"

Wes and his pokemon had expanded the Fortress several times in the past few years- even purchasing two army cots with Wes's Battle Circle money. The boy hadn't stopped stealing- he simply enjoyed the luxury of buying whatever was too bulky to sneak off with. Now stacks of books and electronic devices, rather than shiny rocks and flowers, lined the walls and filled the boxes of their kingdom. Diagrams of pokemon and their evolutions papered the walls.

Sheila stretched one last time, gracefully leaping off of the second army cot.

_ "Well, we may as well hunt around for some breakfast." _she said brightly._ "We've got a few hours until...we've got to be at the Battle Circle."_

Wes could tell that she was just as nervous about the match as he and Snatch were. They followed her out of the fortress and into the alley. The smokestained brick walls had changed little in the past six years, though their swirling patterns were broken by creepers in a few places. He ran his hand briefly along the cool brick before they emerged into the streets of Twopearls and the bright morning sunlight. He let his pokemon walk beside him through the busy streets, drawing admiring glances and the coos of excited children. After all, few enough Eevees still existed in the world. Snatch and Sheila had grown so that he no longer feared that they would be trampled or stolen, so why not? They enjoyed plodding along at his side.

"What sounds good this morning?" Wes asked, sidestepping a knot of chattering women.

Snatch sighed. _"I don't know if I could keep anything down." _

"_Snatch is refusing food? Something must really be wrong." _teased Sheila. Bur her heart was not quite in it. It did nothing to cheer Snatch up.

"We'll be all right." Wes soothed, "This guy can't be all that bad- we've beaten loads of people that had Charizards, Flygons- I mean, how much worse could it possibly get?"

"_He could have a Suicune." _

Sheila rolled her eyes. _"Snatch, no one _has _a Suicune. There's only one, and she's not even real."_

Wes raised his eyebrows. "So you don't believe the story Venn told us? That he's met Suicune before?"

"_I won't believe anything without solid evidence. These Legendary Pokemon are just that- Legendary."_

"_But my mother said-" _Snatch suddenly broke off, seeing the pain in Sheila's gaze. Snatch had only a few shreds of his past to remember, but Sheila had none. Wes could understand why she would reject such kit stories.

"_Sorry, Sheila." _

_ "It's fine. Now, weren't we talking about breakfast?" _she said swiftly, eager to change the subject. Wes glanced around them- his feet had led him, almost without conscious thought, to the Market that he had haunted so often as a child.

"_Westmarket, huh? All right."_ said Snatch lightly, trying to gloss over his mistake. _"Those Rice-and-Chicken bowls sound good." _

Wes laughed. "You always were partial to those things. But they're difficult to make off with without anyone noticing."

Sheila looked puzzled. _"We don't have to steal them anymore. Don't we have enough to pay for breakfast?" _

Wes could not explain it, but in a way, he missed stealing for his meals. Venn had impressed upon him again and again the value of money and the wrongfulness of stealing, but sliding cash across the counter was nothing like the thrill of the hunt. But Sheila was right- they had enough money to cover breakfast. So would he lie?

Fervently hoping that his Pokemon did not know what he was thinking, he answered, "Sure we do, but I thought we should save it. You know... for something we might need later."

His argument was almost as feeble spoken as it was when he thought it up, but he could see no alternative at the moment. His gut twisted with guilt as he continued, "I was hoping that we could maybe... save up for a Water stone, or something." It was not a lie- not exactly. He had broached the topic of evolution a few times with his Pokemon, but they still felt apprehensive about undergoing such a change. He had had no intention of buying one until they were ready, but it was the most viable excuse he could think of.

He cringed as he caught the expressions on their faces- guilt.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Look, I didn't mean-"

"It's not a problem. We understand." said Snatch flatly. His tail and ears still drooped.

Blast. And all of this because he couldn't let go of his habits. They continued in terse silence to the counter, and ate their food in silence. It was like ash in Wes's mouth, and he could scarcely choke it down- all he could think about was his pokemon's guilt and the impending battle. Snatch and Sheila didn't have much of an appetite either. Eventually, they gave up on breakfast and took to wandering through the market.

Wes hardly focused on what he was doing- he was losing himself in memories. It was by that stand- aways back, that he'd stolen apples to eat. And over there was where he'd get candy as a small child. He loved that stand- he never needed to steal. The lady who ran it was a sucker for cute little kids. And many others couldn't resist a loving purr from Snatch or Sheila- a fact they had often used to their advantage. They had laughed when Snatch had tried a sour candy and laughed even harder when Sheila got taffy stuck in her fur- it had taken her days to lick it all off. Wes smiled- so many happy memories in this market. So much had happened in the last few years.

And so much darkness, too. Wes's smile faded when he recalled Venn's ominous conversations- CORP, Marcell, and a stranger named Maori. He had listened when he could since that day, but he gleaned little. Venn and Rem seemed to know no more than he did- they talked about CORP "going underground."

So that source had all but dried up. But he would keep looking. Somehow, himself, Venn, and CORP were linked. He didn't know how, or even how he knew, but he was determined to find out.

_ "Wes?" _

He jumped- he had almost forgotten that his Pokemon were there. They stared at him with wide, concerned eyes.

"_Are you all right?" _

It was no good lying to them.

"No." he said simply. "I've been thinking about things that I shouldn't. Dark thoughts."

Sheila rubbed against his leg comfortingly.

"_Things will get better, Wes. Don't worry." _

"Don't worry" was easier said than done- until a familiar face rounded the corner.

Then forgetting his worry was easy...

...Because it had been replaced with purest hatred.

"Vance." he snarled.

The stout, bratty boy he'd met in the alley was gone- replaced by a tall, ferret-faced teenager in a sleek red ensemble. It looked a bit like the garb of the self-proclaimed "High Tech" trainers he'd met at the battle circle. Vance had lost a lot of weight- in fact, Wes wouldn't have recognized him, if not for the same light of greed in his ratlike blue eyes.

"Long time no see, ratboy." he snarled. "Rumor on the grapevine is that you've made quite a name for yourself in the Battle Circle."

His eyes glinted. "I think it would be fun to crush you just before your big win."

Snatch and Sheila growled menacingly, baring sharp teeth. But Vance didn't flinch.

"That's not going to work this time." he sneered. "I've got bigger and better Pokemon than those scrawny little foxes."

That settled it. Wes could stand insults to himself, but not to Snatch and Sheila.

"Fine. If it's a battle you want, you'll get it." he growled. The marketgoers had formed a large circle around them, and the usual chatter had crescendoed into an excited rumble.

But Wes was oblivious to all as he stared Vance down. If only looks could kill...

But they couldn't, and Wes could do nothing but watch as Vance released his pokemon- a Lucario and a Furret.

Wes swept his gaze over the Pokemon, his mind falling into their usual calculations.

Lucario: fighting/steel type. Favors left side, unusually muscular for such a young age... Furret: normal type, quick, likes to distract foes with swishes of it's tail, longer than most, need to watch out for that...

But his eyes kept drifting back to the Lucario.

"_There's something strange about that one." _he spoke mentally, careful to defend his thoughts. _"Be careful."_

Sheila gave a curt nod. _"We always are."_

Then Vance barked a command and the battle began.

The Furret began with a blinding series of quick zigzags, dashing back and forth about the field and trying to separate Snatch and Sheila. The Lucario paced slow circles around it, waiting. Wes immediately recognized this strategy- he'd seen several other trainers try to use it in the Battle Circle, and his Pokemon were already starting their counter-strategem. But Wes's attention was constantly diverted to the Lucario- something was... off... about it. There was more than meanness in it's golden gaze- were it's eyes supposed to be that gold? There was something _feral_ about it.

"_Wes, are you quite done daydreaming? We're a little tied up right now." _

He snapped his attention back to his Pokemon, mentally cursing himself for his lapse.

His pokemon were performing brilliantly- Sheila had caught and wrestled the Furret, unleashing a series of Fury Swipes. Snatch stood at a distance, hackles raised, ready to-

Then he stopped.  
He rose from his almost-tackle, turned, and stared at the Lucario.

It hadn't moved a muscle the entire battle, staring Snatch down with sharp gold eyes.

Wes quickly ran through everything-probable and improbable- that Vance might be trying to pull.  
_"Is he charging for something?"_

Snatch shook his head.

"_Not that I can- SHEILA!" _

"Lucario! Shadow Rush!" cried Vance.

_Shadow... what the-?_  
Wes looked up just in time to see Lucario burst into motion, streaking across the market and slamming into Sheila in a burst of black and blue flames. She flew across the pitch with a squeak, landing with a THUD at Wes' feet. It was all he could do to stay behind the line and not reach for her.  
"Sheila? SHEILA?"

"_M'fine."_ she muttered, hauling herself shakily to her feet. She drew her teeth back in a snarl. _"But he's going to pay for that." _

Wes grinned. _  
__"That's my girl."_

He scanned the circle- Snatch had launched himself upon the Lucario with a feral snarl, scratching and snapping. Sheila was tensed to charge, but so was Vance's Furret.

Then it hit him.  
Perfect.

"_Snatch! Sheila! Rollout defense!" _

The Eevee took one glance at the setup and grinned- almost the same way Wes had a moment before. A toothy, wolfish smile of victory.

Then several things happened in succession- so quickly that both Wes and Vance had trouble keeping up.

First, Snatch leapt up into the air, using Vance's Lucario as a springboard and forcing it to the ground. At the same time, Sheila dashed across the pitch- a hairsbreadth in front of the charging Furret, and leapt over the flattened Lucario at the last possible second.

The result was _awesome. _

Vance's Furret realized its mistake, but it was too late- the full force of her Slam attack collided with Lucario, sending them both flying out of the circle.

They both might've gotten up a few moments later... had they not collided with the wall of a nearby building.

THUD.

The assembled group roared with applause, and Vance snarled, charging for the wall, but Wes had eyes only for his winded Pokemon.

"_Are you two all right?" _he said mentally, over the clamor of the dispersing crowd.

"_Mmmhmm."_ muttered Sheila. He knelt by them as they licked their scrapes.

"_That was great, you two- Vance is gonna be eating his words, now!" _

Snatch grinned in mid-lick.

"_And so will the town champion- whoever he is. He'll be no match for us!" _

But for some reason, Wes couldn't bring himself to smile. Pulses of... anxiety, worry that was not quite his own leadened his limbs and smothered his joy. He didn't have to look far for it's source.

"_Sheila, what's wrong?" _

"_We _barely_ won, Wes."_ she said quietly, abandoning her grooming. _"If we hadn't done the Rollout defense just in time, we would've lost. That Lucario is much, much too strong." _

Snatch's brow furrowed.

"_Aw, c'mon, Sheila. You could've taken that Furret, and then-"_

"_And then you would've gotten slashed open." _snapped Sheila._ "I'm telling you, Vance's Lucario is_ notnormal!_"  
_Her anger was piqued by an undercurrent of fear, and Wes couldn't help but share it. Snatch's excitement, too was fading, and not simply because of their mental connection. All of them knew how close the round had been.

"So Vance almost won. So what?If the Champion has any pokemon like his, we'll be ready." offered Wes. "There's no cause to be worried, Sheila."

But he could sense, somehow, that there was more to her fear than nervousness over the coming battle. He tried to follow the thought into Sheila's mind, careful not to overintrude, but it fizzled and ended in a tangle of blurred images. Sheila herself didn't even seem to know the reason...

Snatch's ears pricked.

"_Vance at three o'clock."_

Wes stood and faced the livid young man forcing his way through the bustle of the market.

"This could get ugly." Wes remarked, grinning. Oh, how he'd waited to finish what he started at seven years old in the alley...

Snatch growled, fur bristling, but Sheila let their agression slide past her mind.

"_I suggest we duck into an alley." _she said evenly. _"No need to involve the rest of the marketplace." _

Her calm countenance was only betrayed by a steely glint in her eyes. They slipped out of the crowded baazaar almost unseen, walking calmly onto the nearest street.None of them so much as glanced back at the man shoving his way towards them, leaving a trail of 'Oofs!' and 'Watch where you're going's!' in his wake. Wes grinned as they turned the corner onto a darkened alley next to the Battle Circle- the same he'd fought Vance in so long ago.

And they waited for him to round the corner, vein-poppingly mad, insults in tow.

They waited.

And waited.

Nothing.

Snatch hesitantly poked his head around the corner, frowning.

"_He's gone." _  
"Gone?" echoed Wes incredulously. "But he was right behind us the whole way- we would've heard him if he'd changed directions."

"It's no fun to play with a sore loser, is it?"

Three heads instantly whipped around, muscles tensed and teeth bared. But instead of a thief or rogue trainer, a man dressed in green from head to toe stood in the alley. Wes looked him over with the ease of a practiced criminal- slight but sturdy build, iridescent mask hiding eyes, kevlar gear, no pockets. Likely a bounty hunter or a member of a larger organization.

Definitely not on Venn's side of the law.

"Vance has decided to... find other fish in the sea." said the man coolly- his was the voice of a man used to charming and taking advantage of others. Pleasant, yet somehow... mocking.

Wes knew those voices well- he'd never possessed one of his own, but had learned to recognize and circumvent thousands of con artists in his day. He preferred to steal using skill rather than trickery, but he could respect an accomplished master.

"The name's Verde." the man continued. "Alentharis Verde." he paused, as if expecting Wes' name in return. When it was not forthcoming, he shrugged, chuckling.

"Hey, I don't blame you. You've got no reason to trust me, nor I you. But I've been watching you battle for a while, and can't help but admire your skill- and theirs." he said, gesturing to Snatch and Sheila, who sat stiffly, ears piqued. Suspicion and interest flowed from them equally.

"What do you want from us?" Wes demanded. He glanced at the sky- (he still refused to wear a watch.)

They still had time before the battle, but not enough for them to tarry much longer.

Verde chuckled.  
"You get right to the point, don't you? Simple- I work for an organization called 'Team Snagem.' We're in the business of improving the Pokemon race through groundbreaking scientific experiments. Vance's Lucario was one of the first. How did you like him?"

"He was nearly impossible to beat." muttered Wes before he could stop himself. He cursed himself for his lack of foresight when Verde grinned- never a good thing when dealing with a conman.

"Exactly. He was what we call a Shadow Pokemon; our organization has been distributing them to qualified trainers for the last few months, testing them in the field and whatnot."  
He grinned.

"And guess what? You're qualified."

He flicked his wrist and, seemingly out of nowhere, a round pokeball appeared in his hand.

"She's a Ralts- and a good one, too. Rumor has it that the town Champion's got a weakness for psychic types."

He glanced at his pokemon.

"_If he's telling the truth, we need that Ralts. But I don't want us to commit to this guy's organization if we don't have to."_

Sheila's tail twitched with suppressed tension. _"And if he's not telling the truth?"_

Wes suppressed a sigh. Little though he liked to admit it, they had barely won against Vance. And a super-powerful pokemon would make the battle against the Champion positively easy- if he'd been given a Shadow Pokemon himself, it would level the playing field.

Snatch nodded, following Wes' thoughts.  
_"She would make winning a lot easier. But... how are we going to explain a super-powerful pokemon to Venn? And I get the feeling this guy won't let us disappear as easily as you think. He'll get what he wants in return, one way or another."_

Wes winced- his pokemon were far too good at pinpointing and unearthing his doubts. And Venn?

He got the feeling that Venn would be very, very angry if he found out the... dubious nature of this exchange. Mentally, he scowled.

Since when have I listened to the old man? I don't need to tell him where I got her.

But Wes knew that lying to the shopkeeper was maddeningly difficult. And the way Sheila reacted after battling that Lucario...

The littler Eevee shook her head rapidly, eyes wide.

"Wes, this is a bad idea. We can't trust this guy... and you saw Vance's Lucario. Do we really need to rely on something that... _bloodthirsty._.. to win?"

Snatch's ears twitched in irritation at the reminder of their near-miss, but he said nothing. Wes was forced to agree with Sheila- why was she so blasted right about everything? But for the life of him, he couldn't be mad at her.

"You can keep your Pokemon." said Wes curtly. "We've won on our own before and we'll do it again."

Verde shrugged, placing it back into his pocket.

"Fine. But Team Snagem would love to have you, if you'd care to look into us. It'll be two days from now, in the old warehouse on the outskirts of town. We can take you to HQ from there."

"_The question is, will we ever come back?"_ muttered Snatch darkly. Sheila growled in agreement, and Verde didn't miss it.

"Little through you'd like to believe it, we're just like you are. Powerful, misunderstood- all kinds of people are trying to control both of us, Wes. I got involved with the... redistributing... of Pokemon from unworthy trainers, and now I'm my own boss. Only Gonzap tells me what to do."  
Wes raised an eyebrow. "Redistributing?" he echoed.

"_Essentially, you're a thief."_ said Sheila dryly, projecting her thoughts to include Verde. But the green-clad man didn't waver for a moment.

"Precisely. And from what I hear, you three were in the business not too long ago."

"Not that kind of theivery." growled Wes, disgusted. "Tell your boss to find someone else. We've got a Champion to trash."

They turned to leave, and Verde made no move to stop them. They had nearly reached the corner when he finally spoke.

"Your mother was really pretty, Sheila. Called herself 'Seriah.'"

Verde maintained his nonchalant facade for about half a second before Wes slammed him against the brick, their faces inches apart.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. "How do_ you_ know Sheila's mother?"

He glanced back at her- she still stood with Snatch at the corner, her eyes as wide as full moons.

"Is it true, Sheila?"

"_Yes."_ she breathed. _"Her name... the Whiscash who gave me my name told me. It means 'truth'... she told only a few of it. Whoever this Verde is, he really knows her." _

Wes decided not to correct her- he was all too aware of the past-tense Verde had used when referring to Seriah. Snatch shared his discomfort, but they both suppressed it. Right now, Wes had Verde to deal with.

"How do you know Seriah?" he repeated. Verde grinned.

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

Snatch and Sheila bared their teeth, and the green-clad man stiffened. His hands twitched uselessly towards the pokeballs on his belt, but Wes had him pinned by the shoulders- he was helpless.

"Oh, all right. I'll tell you... at our meeting in two days. And don't look at me like that- truth be told, I don't_ know _any more than that. My boss, Gonzap, has her file. You'll have to talk to him to get it."

Wes let him up, grimacing like Verde was something he'd found on his shoe.

"Fine. We'll go to your meeting... but if you're trying to pull something, you'll soon find that we're _difficult_ to kidnap."

Snatch and Sheila growled menacingly- Verde got the message.

"Fine. And my offer of the Ralts still stands."  
Wes turned to leave.

"Not interested."

They watched Verde out of the corners of their eyes until they'd rounded the corner- at which point, Sheila bounced with excitement like a kit.

"Wes! He knows my mother- really knows her! She could be... we could... we might not need to go to Sinnoh after all!"

Snatch's ears drooped and Sheila quickly corrected herself.

"For me, anyway. But they might know what happened to your mom, too, Snatch- and maybe yours, Wes!"  
Wes laughed bitterly- he doubted that a band of theives had any record of his mother- if she was the same woman that had called him to leave the orphanage as a little boy. But what worried him most...

"Sheila, you... you do realize he said 'called,' right? '_Called_ herself Seriah?' It's... past tense."

Pain flashed in her dark eyes and through Wes' own mind, and he winced. But she didn't fall apart, like he'd expected. She simply bored into him with sad eyes too deep to be that of an adolescent.

"_I know she's dead, Wes. I've always sort of known. But to at least know who she was... who I was..."_ she closed her eyes, and the emotions coursing from her were many and incomprehensible- even more so than usual, with all of their respective adolescent emotional turmoils spilling over into each others' minds. Venn said it was normal. Wes said it was confusing. But he couldn't dispute the fact that brought them all so much closer, to really feel each other's pain and joy- they could communicate now without speaking at all, mentally or aloud.

"_I'd like that, Wes. I'd like that very much." _finished Sheila, opening her eyes. Snatch nodded in agreement.

"_So would I. It's... if they can find my mother and father..." _

he glanced at the sky and bristled.  
_"Wes, we've gotta GO! It's noon!"_  
With light limbs but heavy minds, they dashed out of the alley and towards the Battle Circle.

They were ready, now, for whatever happened.

They skidded to a stop in the ring a few minutes later, amid the jeers and chortles of the crowd. Sheila promptly stuck her tongue out at them- they laughed harder.

"And you're Wes, are you?" asked the refferee imperiously. He was a tall, wiry old man in spectacles. For the life of him, Wes couldn't figure out how such an old man had managed to handle the rough fighting of the Battle Circle for so long. But he nodded.

"All right, then."

He blew sharply on his whistle, and the crowd quieted.

"Attention! The last round of the Red tournament, this day of July 21st, 2212, is due to begin! On the blue line, our challengers: Wes, Snatch, and Sheila!"

Mixed applause and jeers followed this announcement, but Wes cared little- he was far too used to it. He glanced at his pokemon.

"_Ready for this?" _

They nodded.

"And on the red line, your reigning champion..."

Wes had been prepared for everything- ghost types, dual-types, cheaters...

He was not prepared for the man who stepped out onto the field amid deafening cheers.

Snatch's eyes were wide. _"Wes, that's-"_

"_I know!"_

"... the man himself, Venndarin Lennox!"

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_Yeah, Venn totally rocks. XD Luv that scene._

_And I sincerely apologize for taking SO LONG to update- I started All's Fair, put this on hiatus... but we're back now! :D And I will try to update more regularly, sorry... and thanks SO MUCH to those of you who reviewed and/or still follow this story! You're more appreciated that I can say. Really._

_Stupid English language, not having enough adjectives. :(_

_Thanks again!_

_-JadedWarrior_


End file.
